From the acidic bone-dry expression in Burgundy to the full-bodied, creamy, tropical fruit bomb of California, Chardonnay is not only one of the world's favorite grapes but also one of its most versatile. Read on for the lowdown on the best Chardonnay Wine Club.
What is the Best Chardonnay Wine Club?
Winc wine club leads the way as the best Chardonnay wine club. Its connections with artisanal wineries throughout California give it direct access to some of the most creative and quaffable styles of wine from this much-loved grape and the Old-World features in its classic styles as well.
There are three main points to consider when choosing a Chardonnay wine club. First, check that the styles you like are available then decide if the packages on offer make good deals. Finally, ensure that delivery frequency and bottle numbers suit you.
Top 10 Chardonnay Wine Clubs
1. Winc - wide range of wines
Pro's
Con's
Subscription Price: Starts at $52 - $59 monthly for 3 - 4 wines
Membership Plans: Pay as you go
Money Back / Satisfaction Guarantee: Yes
Customer Support: Call and live chat in office hours; email
Gift Memberships & Gift Cards: Yes
Cancellation Policy: 3 days in advance plus skip a month policy.
Winc has built up a loyal membership that loves its range of wines. It’s big enough to be interesting but not so huge that it's overwhelming.
Like much else winemakers in California have got their hands on from the Old World, Chardonnay in the Golden State is made with verve, creativity, and care. In this part of the world, this grape thrives and expresses in big, tropical fruit styles with plenty of stone fruit and creamy notes. Winc's philosophy is to find the best and most ambitious boutique wineries that churn out creative, hand-crafted wines and to bring them within reach of its broad membership.
Winc has always been on the case with the California Chardonnay front. It features a range of styles ranging from citrus, easy-drinking takes to the rich, aromatic, and buttery. It even touts a few organic labels.
When you start off with Winc, you answer a fun 30-second online questionnaire that gets to the heart of what you like and - presto - your shipments reflect your tastes to a T.
Watch our video review for Winc
The Bottom Line
Winc is great at delivering unique, affordable packages bursting with personally-sourced and custom-made products from popular varietals.
Customer Support: Calls and live chat in office hours; email
Gift Memberships & Gift Cards: Yes
Cancellation Policy: Cancel anytime and you can delay or put shipments on hold
Isn't it good to know that your wine club goes all over the world and back finding what its members want to the very last drop? That's the Wine of the Month Club.
The wine of the Month Club is forever combing the world for unique reds, whites, rosés, and bubblies then serving them up in carefully thought-out packages that tick its members' boxes.
Second-generation owner Paul Kalemkiarian tastes enough wines each month to launch a ship but is so fussy about what ends up in his members' deliveries that only a handful make it through. He won't take on anything that he wouldn't want in his own cellar so you can feel confident that you're getting top-notch goodies. Paul also prides himself on ferreting out lesser-known wineries doing amazing things that you probably would never know about otherwise.
The Wine of the Month Club offers 12 different packages covering an exciting range of preferences like Bordeaux, Napa, and the "Classics" so you can be sure there'll be some Chablis or California style Chardonnay turning up in your shipments. Deep dive tasting notes accompany each bottle.
The Bottom Line
With a combination of old-fashioned whip-sharp knowledge and a modern approach, the Wine of the Month Club knows exactly what you want - and delivers it.
The California Wine Club works with the pearls of the state to bring members the best and the most diverse.
The California Wine Club has built a huge membership since 1990 but it still retains that mom-and-pop family vibe that singles it out from the rest. Exploring California for the best that boutique companies are offering, it meets winemakers personally, tastes their wares, and adds them to your shipments if they make the grade.
This club offers six membership packages with half highlighting the Californian approach to the noble grapes of the Old World. Chardonnay features in all its local glory in these packages and, if you want to explore afar, there are bundles that cover Oregon and Washington as well as international wine regions.
Perks for members include reduced wine prices when you reorder a favorite, a personal advisor who'll guide you to the best choices for your palate, and special passes for tastings and tours at selected Californian wineries that make you feel like a star.
The Bottom Line
Its dedication to the best of the Golden State and decades in the business mean the California Wine Club brings you the choicest Chardonnays and much more.
Customer Support: Call and chat in office hours; email
Gift Memberships & Gift Cards: Yes
Cancellation Policy: Cancel anytime
With a huge membership of passionate wine lovers cheering it on.
Since 2008, Naked Wines has forged exciting partnerships with winemakers around the globe, funding new and innovative products with members' subs. What subscribers get out of it is a VIP pass to the newest winemaking and big discounts on anything that floats their boat. What producers get out of it is the cash to take new directions that you won't find with big, commercial companies. The result is innovative, fine-tasting wines - a win for everyone.
Creativity doesn't mean crazy either. It means classic varietals like Chardonnay and blends made by new or seasoned winemakers that are ready to try that new tweak on an a traditional approach or simply refine tried-and-tested one.
Your monthly subs build up and when you're ready, you cash your fund in on something that catches your eye. Want to find out more about that carbonic maceration process or oak aging? No problem as you get to keep in touch with your favorite winemakers through chat sections.
Watch our video review for Naked Wines
The Bottom Line
Taste new gems at insanely low prices and have a hand in their making with Naked Wines.
Subscription Price: Starts at $89 then rises to $155 quarterly
Membership Plans: Every 3 months; 12 bottle membership packages.
Money Back / Satisfaction Guarantee: Yes
Customer Support: Calls and chat weekdays; email; mail
Gift Memberships & Gift Cards: No
Cancellation Policy: Cancel at any time and can skip shipments
With its globe-trotting team of sommeliers tirelessly digging out the finest, the only finger you have to lift to get the best is the one that hits the "order" button. Then you just sit back and get excited about every single one of your quarterly shipments from Wine Insiders.
Fine-tuning your shipments is the name of the game at this wine club. If you feel like a change, you can tweak the contents of each delivery as you go along. Do you want to fill your fridge with fresh whites and rosés for the summer or your cellar with warming reds for the fall and winter? Or do you prefer a mix of all year round?
You get complimentary accessory giveaways in each shipment that make opening, serving, and tasting that bit more pro. Extensive tasting notes and food pairing suggestions also accompany each bottle for deeper enjoyment.
Watch our video review for Wine Insiders
The Bottom Line
If you know precisely what your preferences are but want to leave it to your own "personal" sommelier, Wine Insiders is right up your street.
Subscription Price: $69.99/ $259.99 quarterly depending on membership
Membership Plans: Every 3 months
Money Back / Satisfaction Guarantee: Yes
Customer Support: Live chat during extended office hours weekdays; email; mail
Gift Memberships & Gift Cards: Yes
Cancellation Policy: Cancel at any time and can skip a shipment for up to four weeks
You wouldn't expect anything less than the finest from a club that has exclusive inroads into the cream of the crop of international producers.
One of the original 12-bottle wine clubs WSJ Wine takes volume delivery and infuses it with high value and variety. This is down to its enviable and vibrant network of producers located in classic regions the world over.
It taps into this web of wonders and delivers iconic varietals like Chardonnay from equally iconic areas. Its list of classic grapes is extensive, but this club also knows members like a shakeup so roots out limited editions from its treasure trove to keep your plate on its toes.
As you sip your way through your bottles, you plug in your feedback via your account honing what arrives in your next shipment, the one after that - and so on. This enables you to both build on old tastes and discover new ones as you sculpt the perfect 12-bottle shipment every time. You always know whatever you get, it's coming from the best sources.
Watch our video review for WSJ Wine
The Bottom Line
A leader in the 12-bottle club landscape, WSJ Wine takes bulk and turns it into the best every single time.
Customer Support: Call during extended hours weekdays and weekends; email; mail
Gift Memberships & Gift Cards: Yes
Cancellation Policy: Cancel or pause shipments at any time
Enjoys a reputation as one of the finest clubs going for its wide range and quality.
Laithwaites finicky approach to filling its portfolio of reds, whites, rosés, and bubblies has paid off over the years. It has built up a membership of 700,000 and won the prestigious. "Merchant of the Year" award from the famed International Wine Challenge.
Its huge number of subscribers give it the fuel to circumnavigate the globe like a wine explorer and bring back a bounty of the finest, the most creative, and simply the most quaffable that makes every shipment feel like your birthday. It keeps an eagle eye on what t members prefer and sources these styles whether they're artisanal red blends or rare rosé Champagne.
You have the flexibility to mix and match your case contents as you go - reds this time, whites the next, and a mix the time after. Comprehensive tasting notes accompany each bottle in your shipment so you can learn more about your likes as you sip.
Watch our video review for Laithwaites
The Bottom Line
With award-winning customer service and an awesome portfolio, this decades-old club has something to offer novices and connoisseurs.
8. Gold Medal Wine Club - Perfect to proud wine snob
Pro's
Con's
Subscription Price: Starts at $40.95
Membership Plans: Monthly, bi-monthly, and quarterly; 2, 3, or 4 bottle packages.
Money Back / Satisfaction Guarantee: Yes
Customer Support: Call, live chat, out-of-hours answer service; email; mail
Gift Memberships & Gift Cards: Yes
Cancellation Policy: Cancel or pause shipments at any time
If you're a loud and proud wine snob who won't go anywhere near a bottle without a silver or gold sticker on it, you'll love the Gold Medal Wine Club.
The only downside of the shiny, gleaming selection of packages that the Gold Medal Wine offers is wine buffs will have a hard time deciding on one. They're super tailored to those of us who like the finer things in life with a Platinum Club for the tried, tested, and touted and a limited-membership Diamond Club brimming with premium and luxurious vintages.
The Gold Medal Wine Club prides itself on steering well clear of bulk, private label, or fakely-named products. It only deals with authentic, family-owned wineries and practically all its six clubs are bursting with award winners.
Its customer service also sets it apart. If you like what you see, you can hop onto another club in-between shipments with the click of a mouse. It also sees no reason for you to miss out because you’re away on vacation or business by happily delivering to your temporary address.
The Bottom Line
If "sky-high quality" is your middle name but you like down-to-earth customer service, go for the Gold Medal Wine Club.
If your two passions in life are wine and public radio, the NPR Wine Club is a match made in heaven for you.
With each quarterly delivery from the NPR Wine Club, you get to customize your preference for reds, whites, or a heady mix of both. Furthermore, a cut of your subscription bolsters public radio yet somehow you still make massive savings. Isn't it great to slowly savor that Chardonnay while giving much-loved public radio a hand?
Membership with the NPR wine club gives you access to a case full of the classics from regions like France, Italy, Argentina, and Spain. This makes it ideal for anyone who loves public radio whether they're a newbie or know their stuff. Your enjoyment is enhanced by in-depth tasting notes on your bottles and fascinating information on the regions they come from. Even if you're a connoisseur, you'll probably learn something new! The NPR Wine Club also throws in great notes on how to serve and enjoy wine so you can impress friends, family, and most importantly, yourself no end.
The Bottom Line
Fill two needs with one deed when you express your love of public radio and wine with the NPR Wine Club.
Plonk brings you the best organic and biodynamic wines producers have to offer in each case.
Founder Etty Klein has been featured in Wine Enthusiast's Top 40 Under 40 Tastemakers List as well as garnering a truckload of other accolades for the brave and inventive Plonk. This club only features products free from pesticides in the vineyard and acidifiers, artificial sugars, alcohol enhancements in the winery. If a healthy lifestyle is important to you but you do not want to give up your wine, you don't have to with Plonk.
Etty's team of experts root out jewels that tempt your tastebuds and keep your body and mind free from toxins. While you can expect iconic grapes like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cab Sauv, you’ll also find surprises in your case with intriguing indigenous varietals that you've never heard of. This means new favorites for you!
You dictate your preferences on body, tannins, and acidity in each delivery and get tasting and pairing notes with each bottle. Cheers to that!
The Bottom Line
Plonk might put a dent in your wallet but it's more than worth it with its delivery of the finest and the healthiest.